Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Newbie]

(yeah, it starts off negatively. but reallty, this is a pro_korean message)

Do you ever think to yourself:

"goddam these people are rude and superficial" ... "if one more person pushes me i'm gonna go postal" ... "stop staring" ... "why the hell did i come here. there is nothing foreign or Asian about this country. It is nothing but a depserate, weak, pitiful, 'i hate whitey but would give all of my life to be one' kinda place'" etc., etc., etc. then, get the hell out of Seoul, Busan, or Daegu.

Find yourself a Korean friend, or even better, a spouse. And when I say friend, I don't mean a hogwan co-worker, I mean a real friend. Why not a co-worker you ask? Well, basically: your average hogwan co-worker will appear nice on the cover, and appear to be a great confidant, but rest assured, everything you tell them is getting passed on to the boss within 5-10 mintues. Watch your back

I digress.... (bad spelling perhaps? Newbie is drunk) IF you can find yourself a real friend, partner, spouse ... some true link to Korean people, you will be blown away. I'm like the most of you: annoyed as hell by the general rudeness (by Western standards) and selfisheness of Koreans. BUT, if you get "inside" WOW. I was recently married. Just had a day of drinking with the inlaws. I can't believe how great they were. These uncles, aunts, cousins, HELL even ma and pa, who hated the very sight of me before the wedding, are now the nicest people in the world. (and no, the hate was not "all in my head". they actually told the misses not to lower herself by marrying a waygookin)

Aside from the "personal" benefits of leaving one of the big cities, there acutally is a lot of beautfiul shiat to see in the small towns. I, for one, was always hugely disappointed when I went to big city "palaces" and "temples". Complete, lame arse, 50 year old recreations. However, hit up some small town, and you get a real feel for traditional architecure. It's quite breathtaking.

So to all you Korean haters out there: I completely know where you're coming from. Just try not to judge the whole country by the ravenous, selfish, "i hate americans even though my complete existence is based on being one", superficial city-folk.

The unknown, traditional Korea .. it's kinda cool

[doggyji]

That's why we are talking about mingling with the real local folks or living in your own fantasy world.

[the_beaver]

Which begs the question, why the *beep* would a person think that the country is more real than the city?

[Rey Mysterio 619]

[DaeguKid]

man thats a great day out Newbie...nice one! I was just saying to some friends over a pint the other day, as a whole, Korea is a hole. The lack of respect and courtesy is huge here...but get them one on one, and they can be the best people you have ever met. Thanks for the reminder, i just came in from Xmas shopping, and needless to say it wasnt fun.
DK

[Gwangjuboy]

Korea is an odd place at times for sure. The best people I have met have been Korean, but the worst people I have come across have been Korean too. That's quite odd considering that I have spent only a fraction of my life here.

[flakfizer]

I don't think getting to know in-laws constitutes knowing the "real" Korea. What's happening, is you're getting to know a handful of "real" people. They do not necessarily reflect on Korea. Your in-laws may be great, but that doesn't prove anything about Korea at large. Also, you may want to wait a while before coming to this conclusion. I don't want to seem negative, but it takes a while before you will really see your in-laws very clearly. You may never. I've been married for quite a while now, and my in-laws are always very nice to me. But, this does not mean they are always very nice to each other or to other Koreans. Koreans may seem rude in public, but they are good hosts and very friendly when entertaining guests. I feel that for the most part, foreigners here are often viewed either as threats, or as guests, depending on the people involved and the situation. Before you were married, you were viewed as a threat. Now that you are married, your in-laws probably view you as a guest, and as such, they are not about to air their dirty laundry in front of you or exhibit rude behaviour. Who would do those things when they have company?

[mateomiguel]

Oh, I'm pretty sure everything you experience in life is real. Nothing is more real than another thing. You gotta consider everything to be real, or you might as well go crazy.

[cdninkorea]

[JeJuJitsu]